


“All my love, (Cousin!) Hazel”

by clickingkeyboards



Category: Murder Most Unladylike Series - Robin Stevens
Genre: Babies, Family Fluff, Gen, Letters, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clickingkeyboards/pseuds/clickingkeyboards
Summary: One morning at Deepdean in 1937, Hazel receives a peculiar third letter from Felix and Lucy, who rarely ever write to her.It bears important news that she has heard once before, only this time is an enormously happy occasion.
Relationships: Daisy Wells & Hazel Wong, Felix Mountfitchet/Lucy Mountfitchet
Kudos: 17





	“All my love, (Cousin!) Hazel”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunshinedflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedflower/gifts).



“I bring letters!” Lavinia declared, dumping down the contents of our pigeon holes on the breakfast table. The entire Fifth Form began the usual mad scramble for their letters, and a package was deposited in front of Amina, along with a letter that smelt rather heavily of the rose perfume that she had gifted Daisy (because she loves it so much, Daisy wears far too much of it). I received my usual two letters, one from Daisy and from dear Alexander, and a surprising third one in unfamiliar handwriting.

Curious, I tuned out the bickering as best I could and opened the unusual letter first. It was from Uncle Felix (clearly Aunt Lucy had written the address on the envelope despite the content, which spoke volumes about Uncle Felix’s organisational skills) and began ordinarily enough.

_ Dear Hazel, _

_ I hope that your fifth year at Deepdean is going well! It’s a terribly important year, Lucy and I are impressed that you have managed to balance that alongside your missions with Daisy. We’ve sent a package of cakes that should arrive soon after this letter. _

_ London has been rather routine, which is surprising for us. However, not everything has been smooth sailing. _

As I finished reading the second paragraph, I realised that I was sitting on the edge of my seat. The letter contained a strange sense of bottled excitement that almost frightened me, as if Uncle Felix was dancing around a very important point.

_ Lucy and I are unsure how you will react to this news, given how you spoke of what happened in Hong Kong. We are hoping that both you and Daisy will take kindly to this information, given that it is so important. _

_ We received a letter from the doctor this morning, and they have confirmed that Lucy is expecting a child. _

I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a shriek, feeling my entire body flush hot and cold with a mixture of shock and overwhelming excitement.  _ A baby. _ Guiltily, I felt far happier about that news than I did about Teddy, perhaps because I had been given prior warning and trusted with such special news, as opposed to having to sprung on me suddenly. 

_ You can tell whoever you please, as Lucy is rather far along now. Daisy will receive her letter around the same time as you, due to my ability to give the postal service a prod to work faster, so you can call her to chatter or complain about this, depending on how you feel. We could hardly keep the news in, so it is unfair to expect you girls to. _

“Kitty?” I breathed, my voice coming out rather breathless and squeaky. I felt as if I hadn’t any feeling in my body, as if I was floating on each breath with the only feelings being my fingertips against the paper, my eyes blinking in shock, and my lips numbly touching together to form words. “Is this how you felt?”

“You’re having another sibling?” Beanie piped up, leaning on her hands and peering over at me. “That’s rather a lot of babies!”

I shook my head, and the motion seemed to keep my mind swaying long after I had stopped. “No. Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy are having a baby. Daisy’s aunt and uncle.”

“Ooh!” Sophie said, leaning over with a wide-eyed look on her face. “Are they gonna name it after Daisy?”

The idea of a very much alive Daisy’s reaction to that made me stifle a laugh. “Uncle Felix doesn’t like the idea of naming children after dead relatives, he says it’s a bit creepy.”

“It is a bit weird,” Lavinia agreed. “Do you think they’re going to have a boy or a girl?”

“I think… maybe a girl?” For some reason, the image in my head was of a small baby girl, rather than a baby boy. Perhaps I wanted the opposite of Teddy, or perhaps I was correct. “I don’t know why, but I think a girl.”

I fiddled with the paper in my hands, the word ‘baby’ underneath my fingertips, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

At lunch on that same day, Matron called into the hall, “Miss Wong, there’s a young woman on the phone for you! A friend of your family, she says.”

“Oh! Um… it must be Ping!” I said, lying through my teeth as I scrambled from my seat and rushed into Matron’s office, sitting down awkwardly in the offered chair to use her phone. “Hello!”

“HAZEL!” Daisy shouted, all the way from France. “Did you get a letter from Uncle Felix?”

“Yes!” I replied, feeling rather giddy all over again. Then I realised something, a creeping uncertain feeling: Daisy might be furious. “Are you… glad?”

She replied after a pause of consideration. “I don’t know. It’s… exciting, and Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy are so happy. But I don’t like change, Hazel, and I don’t like that things will be different. But I don’t want to upset them!”

Daisy is much more considerate now than she ever was before, and I am rather proud of her. “Well… I don’t know what to say to that. But you’re very good at getting used to things now!” I said, and she hummed thoughtfully.

“I suppose so, yes. Isn’t it exciting, Hazel? A  _ cousin _ for both of us!”

“Not for me,” I reminded her.

Making an annoyed noise, Daisy corrected me. “Of course for both of us! We are two halves of the same excellent person, Watson! Unless you… don’t want to consider the baby your cousin, that’s alright too.”

“No, I do!” I was grinning rather stupidly. “We’re more like aunties, aren’t we? You know, given that we’re so much older than the baby.”

“ _ Auntie Hazel and Auntie Daisy _ . That’s a weird sentence.”

We both laughed. 

“Alright, I’ve got to go. Matron is looking at me funny. Love you, Daisy.”

She laughed in a giddy, bubbly way, exactly how I was feeling. “Love you too, Watson.”

When I set down the receiver, I buried my head in my hands and laughed to mirror Daisy, feeling deliriously happy.

* * *

_ Dear Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy (and Baby!), _

_ That’s so incredibly exciting! I cannot wait for more information, and I’m glad that the pregnancy is apparently going very well indeed. _

_ Daisy is extremely excited too. _

_ I can’t wait to see you next Exeat Weekend! _

_ All my love, _

_ (Cousin!) Hazel _


End file.
